Hanover County looks set to be the next Central Virginia locality to limit new tobacco and hemp retailers, after its planning commission voted last Thursday to approve a zoning amendment tightening restrictions on where vape, smoke and hemp retailers can operate.
Under the updated ordinance, new storefronts selling tobacco, vape and hemp products would have to be at least a mile from schools, half a mile from public parks, and 2000 feet from any existing tobacco retailers. New shops could also be required to apply for conditional use permits to operate in certain parts of Hanover.
The 18 existing retailers in the county — a figure that does not count stores in the Town of Ashland, which has its own zoning code — would be allowed to continue operating, though they would be barred from expanding unless the expansion meets the new criteria…